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A Blue Cruise Rhapsody

Hits: 3585 Friday, 20 August 2010 13:12 Alaturka Journal Turkey Journey - Turkey Mobile Travel

I endowed cradles to Noah, swings and hammocks.
Mother Eve was born only yesterday,
I am Anatolia, do you understand? Ahmed Arif

What better way to make my own Don Quixote progress through the journalistic forest of The Blue Cruise Literature could be but on board a gulet called “The Blue Way I”, actually doing the voyage?
This was my decisive moment for bringing the long awaited dream to a conclusion. A terrific journey served for a finale that was to become a search for Blue Fun for me, and indeed not the last one it will be.
Also known as The Blue Cruise Turkey, this style of sailing became increasingly popular over the years and gained a distinctive admiration amongst those who prefer cruising along the shores of Turkey on board a “Gulet”. A superb way of savoring the blessing of the sun and the sea, interest in Blue Cruise in Turkey is fast growing. Whilst there are many reasons for the ever growing attraction in sailing Turkey, we should like to start with introducing you to this most popular of sea adventures and how Turkey cruises has begun.

It was the writer, Cevat Sakir, who first began the Blue-Cruise almost 60 years ago. Exiled to Bodrum (the ancient Halikarnassus), which proved far from a punishment, he lived his days amidst the natural beauty and un-spoilt nature of the Bodrum peninsula and environs. He befriended local fishermen and accompanied them on their 'gulet' style wooden boats, enjoying the vast blue expanses of the sea and extraordinary coastlines here, where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean. When friends and visitors came from Istanbul they would join Sakir- who came to be known as 'The Fisherman of Halikarnassus'- for boat trips, and hence was born the Blue-Voyage, or Blue-Cruise. Life aboard was beautifully simple and carefree. Cevat Sakir and his friends were known to simply load the boat with watermelons and set off with little else but minds to empty and an adventurous spirit.
They were also much interested in the cultural remnants of ancient settlements that dotted the shoreline like a pearl string. They were ecstatic when each time they discovered yet another remnant from ancient civilizations and indeed, when they first discovered happiness. Thus the theory of culture, which embraced the cultures of all the people who lived in Western Turkey was constructed and the region became famous. Today this voyage of exploration, the source of inspiration and enjoyment for holiday makers for over 60 years, the abundance of historical sites, some of which are only accessible by sea, continue to attract holiday makers with an interest in archaeology, culture, history and arts. Indeed, in order to take as much advantage as one can from the pleasant climate of the Aegean and the Mediterranean and satisfy the curiosity about ancient civilizations, many adventurous people flock to the numerous protected coves, inlets and bays that are surrounded by pine forests along the heavenly shoreline of Turkey.

Typically designed with a sharp bow, broad beam and rounded aft, the Gulets are now designed and fitted with comfortable features and latest technology with sea lovers and fantastic vacations in mind. Gone are the primitive, smaller Gulets of the fishermen. Built of pine wood and styled with a pointed fore and rounded aft, Gulets of today allow passengers more space on deck and offer spacious en-suite cabins to retreat and are often over 30 meters in length. The decor on deck accentuates the exclusive experience of sailing along the coast, as if gliding on a lake in protected coves where magic and mystery reigns without interruption.
For one thing, compared to other holidaying options, life on board a Blue Cruise Gulet is much more enchanting and fun than for example, spending your time at a holiday resort on land. You can be sure to have almost all of the luxuries you can expect from a five star hotel. Your air conditioned, en-suite cabins, sunbathing and lazing about on deck, space to engage in various recreational activities are there just for you, personally. Additionally, those of you wanting to have an active time will have the opportunity to engage in water sports at will. All these details are no different to what you will get in a luxury hotel.
Apart from the standard facilities in the cabins, the salon area is also air conditioned and could be considered to be the lobby of a hotel. The spacious deck areas at the fore and aft section allow alfresco dinners to be had, spend some time reading in tranquility or simply, do nothing!
In short, considered to be hotels afloat, Gulets are different in that the scenery constantly changes unlike a resort. Surely, dropping anchor at a different cove and waking up to different scenery and sounds of silence each day must be a royal feeling. How the day will pass by as you cruise will entirely be up to you. Does having breakfast in an isolated inlet, surrounded by pine forests to the songs of a variety of wild life sound attractive? May be you would like to have a dip in the crystalline waters of azure blue seas before breakfast and gather some energy before you begin the day? Your private chef will have prepared the breakfast by then. So it is time to enjoy a sumptuous variety of fresh food. Rest of day is shaped entirely by your wishes and interests. General tendency is to weigh anchor and move on towards the next heavenly spot.
Your Captain will have discussed with you about other opportunities for land based activities, depending on your itinerary. As you know, Blue Cruise also means trekking, historical sight seeing or even meeting the locals going about their life in sleepy villages along the shores.

Night fall means possibly the most enjoyable hours of the day is near. It is dinner time; time to savor the most delicious samples of the Aegean and Mediterranean Cuisine, accompanied by fresh sea food varieties and seasonal vegetables and fruit. A Blue Cruise is also a cruise through exquisitely tasty dish varieties indeed. The best and most serene surroundings will have been already determined by your Captain for your overnight stay. The night will be long under the flickering lights of trillions of stars of the Aegean skies. Phosphorescence over the azure blue waters will already have captivated your soul. Long conversations through to the late hours will leave more unforgettable memories; the energy spent throughout the day will enliven for yet another adventure the next day.
In my search for the right gulet, a certain crescendo was offered by various gulet owners and agencies in a long infernal concert of searching for the best way to discover the Aegean coast.
Searching for the right vessel was an opening for a melancholy, drama, tragedy and indeed tranquility full of historical journey. Had it not been for the ever active assistance of a remarkably talented yacht charter agent, I would not be writing this article as joyfully as I am now.
Having travelled through over 60 cities and locations around the globe, I was finally able to extricate myself from the clutches of strenuously pursuing attractions that prompted me to keep going, keep moving. The ensuing professionalism of Captain Ümit, even under spell of the knowledge that historical violence that may be exhibited by the Aegean see would be just around the next isthmus was no fearsome affair.
The Blue cruise adventure provided a particularly instructive illustration of the extent to which the settlers of the islands and the shoreline had gone in immortalizing the ancient life on the Aegean.
Imagine lying off 10 meters of the shore of a secluded beach, surrounded by pine forests, history right at the beach, pitch black night but glittering stars above, add to that such a calm water but only the lazy splash of water on sandy shoreline. Certainly, it is not easy to picture the intellectual confusion one is immersed into. As far as I was concerned, peace prevailed, tranquility followed, except maybe the songs of nightingales late in to the night would wake me up from the dreamy state I were in. What you need at such an atmosphere is good luck and skilled disciplined organization of the crew, both of which were forthcoming to a marked degree at the hour needed and that’s all! The rest is up to you!

It would be so quite and serene in some nights that those on shore would not have known that we were there just 10 meters off shore, except for the times when the direction of the wind changed to Meltemi may have suggested that our Blue Way I with happy passengers lye close to shore, savouring sumptuous kebabs and mezes!. Those very atmospheric conditions on beaches indeed became a blessing in disguise, marvelous spell of calm weather prevailed all along the journey.
The most significant lesson taught by this story of operations is not one illustrative of the holiday in itself as that is ordinarily interpreted by the holiday makers that are plenty. It is not a lesson concerned with the fee paid, nor with the exquisite samples of food eaten, nor yet with the specifications of the boat that are absorbing interest to yachting experts. It is not an experience that needs to be brushed off but, nevertheless goes to very root of the principles on which the policy of “tourism” must be conducted if a cause is to triumph. The lesson is one to be learned by the actual “discoverer” rather than “the rich holiday maker” and it amounts to this; if you wish to overcome the realm that governs your life, to be rid of the “worldly worries” on holiday, you must take exhaustive council with professional advisors and must see to it that those professional advisers are given full opportunity to state their case unhampered by “worldly” interference.
Let me assure you, after all, the discomfiture to a holiday plan is primarily the consumer having been committed to a ticklish adventure without adequate forethought and search.
The coastline between Bodrum and Antalya is truly a sailing paradise. The magic of the Turkish Blue Cruise will tempt you to return again and again to explore yet another stretch of coast and lose time on this special vacation. While the climate, sea and scenery is out of this world, the legacy of ancient civilisations remains to be explored with both major and lesser known sites of antiquity all over the region.

- Doğan Şahin